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HISTORICAL HANDBOOK NUMBER TEN
This publication is one of a scries of handbooks describing the his-
torical and archeological areas in the National Park System
administered by the National Park Service of the United States
Department of the Interior. It is printed by the Government
Printing Office and may be purchased from the Superintendent of
Documents, Washington 25, D. C. Price 30 cents
SHILOH
National Military Park, Tennessee
by Albert Dillahunty
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HISTORICAL HANDBOOK SERIES NO. 10
WASHINGTON 25, D. C. 1951
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Arthur E. Demaray, Director
Contents
Page
PRELIMINARY CAMPAIGN 2
THE FIRST DAY 9
THE SECOND DAY 16
RESULTS OF THE BATTLE 19
GUIDE TO THE AREA 24
Iowa State Monument 24
Michigan State Monument 27
Confederate Monument 27
Ruggles' Batteries 28
Confederate Burial Trench 28
Illinois State Monument 29
Shiloh Church Site 29
Fraley Field 30
Putnam Stump 30
Hornets' Nest and Sunken Road . 31
Johnston's Monument 31
Peach Orchard 32
War Cabin 32
Bloody Pond 33
Indian Mounds 33
Overlook 33
Pittsburg Landing 34
NATIONAL CEMETERY 35
HOW TO REACH THE PARK 35
ADMINISTRATION 36
RELATED AREAS 36
VISITOR FACILITIES 37
SHILOH INSPIRES WRITERS 37
■J.
Shiloh Church, painted by Capt. A. M. Connett, 24th Indiana
Volunteer Infantry, a participant in the battle.
Shiloh national military park preserves the scene of the first
great battle in the West of the War Between the States. In this
2-day battle, April 6 and 7, 1862, both the Union and Confed-
erate Armies suffered heavy casualties, bringing home the horrors of
war to the North and South alike. Nearly 24,000 were killed, wounded,
or reported missing— a number equal to more than one-fifth of the com-
bined Union and Confederate Armies engaged in the battle. By their
failure to destroy the Federal Armies at Shiloh the Confederates were
forced to return to Corinth, Miss., relinquishing all hold upon West
Tennessee, except a few forts on the Mississippi which were soon to be
wrested from them. Their failure at Shiloh foreshadowed the loss of the
Memphis and Charleston Railroad, the South's vital line of communica-
tion between Chattanooga and the Mississippi. After the fall of Mem-
phis, early in June, the Federals were in position to strike at Vicksburg,
the conquest of which would give them control of the Mississippi and
split the Confederacy in two.
The psychological effect on the South of the Union campaigns was
probably of greater importance than the material gains or losses of the
contending armies. The Confederates learned by bitter experience the
error of their former opinion of the Union soldier. No longer could they
boast that the fighting ability of one Confederate was equal to that of
10 Federals, now that Southern dash and chivalry had been grievously
tried against Northern valor and endurance.
The near-defeat at Shiloh removed the illusion of easy victory, created
by the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson, from the minds of Northerners.
They now realized that the struggle was to be a long and bloody one.
A few days after Donelson, one Union soldier wrote: "My opinion is
that this war will be closed in less than six months from this time."
Shortly after Shiloh the same soldier wrote: ". . . if my life is spared I
will continue in my country's service until this rebellion is put down,
should it be ten years."
Shiloh is not distinguished by outstanding generalship on either side,
but it is interesting as a battle fought by raw volunteers— young men
without previous experience in a major engagement and with little or
no military training.
Preliminary Campaign
War activity west of the Appalachian Mountains in 1861 was confined
chiefly to the States of Kentucky and Missouri. Toward the end of the
year when loyalty, or at least the neutrality, of the governments of these
border States seemed assured, the Federals began making plans for the
invasion of the South by way of the western rivers and railroads. Each
side began to maneuver for strategic positions. The Confederate General,
Leonidas Polk, believing that the Southern States were about to be in-
vaded through Kentucky, moved up quickly from his position at Union
City, Tenn., and seized Columbus, Ky., the northern terminus of the
Mobile and Ohio Railroad. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, recently appointed
commander of the Federal troops in and around Cairo, 111., had made
preparations to occupy that important river port and railway center on
the following day. Thwarted at Columbus, Grant retaliated by taking
Paducah, Ky., located at the junction of the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers.
It now became apparent to the Confederate high command in Rich-
mond that a strong line would have to be established along the north-
western border of the Confederacy before the Union armies had time
to occupy more of the strategic points. They believed that the task could
be performed more effectively if all troops in that theater of operation
were placed under one commander. Accordingly, Confederate President
Jefferson Davis sent Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston to the West with the
imposing title of "General Commanding the Western Department of
the Army of the Confederate States of America."
Arriving in Nashville on September 14, 1861, General Johnston
studied his difficult assignment. The line he was supposed to occupy
extended from the mountains of eastern Tennessee westward across the
Mississippi to the Kansas boundary. Only two points on the proposed
line were then in Confederate hands: Columbus, which he considered
the natural key to the Confederate defense of the Mississippi, and
Cumberland Gap, Ky., which he had previously ordered Gen. Felix K.
Zollicoffer to occupy.
One of Johnston's first official acts upon arriving at Nashville was
to order Gen. Simon B. Buckner to secure Bowling Green, Ky., one of
the most important railroad centers south of the Ohio. He also ordered
garrisons to the incomplete works at Fort Henry, on the Tennessee, and
Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland, hoping to prevent a Union advance
up either of these natural highways. A Federal offensive up the Tennes-
see or the Cumberland would endanger the important railroad and
industrial center of Nashville, Tenn.
Since the outbreak of the war, Nashville had been converted into a
huge arsenal and depot of supplies. Large quantities of food, clothing,
and munitions had been collected and stored in its warehouses. Its fac-
tories were turning out percussion caps, sabers, muskets, saddles, harness,
knapsacks, cannon, and rifled pieces. Its looms were turning out thou-
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Commodore Foote's gunboats ascending the Tennessee to attack
Fort Henry.
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sands of yards of gray cloth which were being made into uniforms for
the soldiers. The loss of this city would be an irreparable blow to the
Confederacy.
While General Johnston was establishing his positions, the Federals
were rapidly organizing their forces preparatory to an attack upon the
Confederate line. Gen. Henry W. Halleck, from headquarters in St.
Louis, was strengthening his positions at Cairo, 111., and Paducah, Ky.
At the same time, he was making ready a large number of river steamers
so that his troops could be moved by water to almost any point along
his front. From headquarters in Louisville, Gen. Don Carlos Buell, com-
mander of the Department of the Ohio, reinforced his line so that
Johnston had to keep his main force at Bowling Green, Ky., to guard
the important railroads which penetrated Middle and West Tennessee.
Various plans for an attack upon the Confederate line were considered
by the Federals. General Halleck, commander of the Department of the
Missouri, believed that it would take an army of not less than 60,000
men, under one commander, to break the well-established line. He,
therefore, asked that General Buell's army be transferred to him, or at
least placed under his command.
Before a union of the two departments could be effected, General
Grant asked for, and received, permission to attack the line at Fort
Henry. A combined land and naval attack by Grant's troops and the
gunboat fleet of Commodore Andrew H. Foote resulted in the sur-
render of Fort Henry on February 6, 1862, and the capture of Fort
Donelson, with about 12,000 prisoners, on the 16th. The loss of these
forts broke Johnston's line at its center and compelled him to evacuate
Bowling Green and Columbus, permitting western Kentucky to fall
into Union hands. To prevent encirclement, he was also forced to with-
draw from Nashville, abandon Middle and West Tennessee, and seek
a new line on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.
Following the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson, Grant incurred the
displeasure of General Halleck by sending a division of troops into
Buell's department at Clarksville. Halleck's indignation increased when
he learned that Grant had gone to Nashville for consultation with
Buell. Halleck directed the withdrawal of the division from Clarksville,
suspended Grant from command, and ordered him to Fort Henry to
await orders.
Dover Tavern, General Buckner's headquarters and scene of
the surrender of Fort Donelson.
Map of the battlefield of Shiloh, made by Gen. W. T. Sherman
soon after the battle.
The army under Grant's successor, Gen. Charles F. Smith, moved up
the Tennessee toward the heart of the Confederacy, with the intention
of rendezvousing at Savannah, Tenn., on the east side of the river. Gen.
Willian T. Sherman was sent forward on the so-called Yellow Creek
Expedition for the purpose of destroying railroad communications to
the west of Corinth, Miss., the objective of the campaign. High water
made Sherman's mission a failure, and he was compelled to return. He
reported to General Smith that a more convenient place for the assem-
bling of his army was at Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., 9 miles above
Savannah, and on the west side of the river, from which direct roads led
to Corinth. General Smith, therefore, instructed him to disembark his
division and that of Gen. Stephen A. Hurlbut at Pittsburg Landing, in
positions far enough back to afford room for the other divisions of the
army to encamp near the river.
Conference of Confederate commanders the night before the
battle. From left to right, Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard, Gen. Le-
onidas Polk (seated), Gen. John C. Breckinridge, Gen. A. S.
Johnston, Gen. Braxton Bragg, and Maj. J. F. Gilmer. Gen.
W. J. Hardee was not present.
Cherry Mansion, Savannah, Tenn., used as headquarters for
the Union Army, March 13 to April 29, 1862. While eating
breakfast in this house, General Grant heard the sounds of
heavy firing which told him the battle had begun. Generals
W. H. L. Wallace and C. F. Smith died here in April 1862.
In obedience to this order, Sherman encamped his division along a
ridge on either side of Shiloh Church, almost 3 miles from Pittsburg
Landing, with General Hurlbut's division about a mile to his rear.
Within a few days, Gen. Benjamin M. Prentiss' division took position
on Sherman's left, while Gen. John A. McClernand and Gen. W. H. L.
Wallace formed their divisions between Sherman and the river. The 3d
Division, commanded by Gen. Lew Wallace, was stationed at Crump's
Landing, about 4 miles downstream from the main encampment. Thus,
by April 5, 1862, there were in the five divisions of the Army of the Ten-
nessee at Pittsburg Landing 39,830 officers and men present for duty
and 7,564 at nearby Crump's Landing.
While this concentration of troops was in progress, General Smith
received a leg injury which became so serious that he had to give up his
command. General Grant was restored to duty and sent to Savannah
with orders to concentrate troops and supplies, but to bring on no gen-
eral engagement until a union could be made with Buell's army, and
Halleck had arrived to assume personal command of the combined
forces.
8
General Johnston, in the meantime, was concentrating all available
forces at Corinth, Miss., on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. After
this had been accomplished, he resolved to take the offensive and attack
Grant's army at Pittsburg Landing, hoping to defeat that army before
it could be reinforced by General Buell. Hearing that Buell was nearing
Savannah, Johnston determined to attack at once and accordingly on
the 3d of April issued the order for the forward movement. He expected
to give battle at daylight on April 5 th, but heavy rains and bad roads
made progress so slow that the last of his columns did not reach the
field until late afternoon. It was then decided that the attack should be
postponed until daylight the next morning. Johnston's army, 43,968
strong, went into bivouac in order of battle within less than 2 miles of
the Federal camps. The Confederate forces were formed in three lines.
Gen. W. J. Hardee's corps and one of Gen. Braxton Bragg's brigades
were in the first line, the remainder of Bragg's corps in the second line,
and Generals Leonidas Polk's and J. C. Breckinridge's corps in the third
line.
During the night of April 5 th the two hostile armies were encamped
within a short distance of each other: the Confederates poised, ready to
attack, while the unsuspecting Union army went about its normal camp
routine, making no preparations for the defense of its position. Oh Sat-
urday, a few hours before the battle, Sherman wrote Grant: "I have no
doubt that nothing will occur to-day more than some picket firing," and
that he did not "apprehend anything like an attack" on his position.
The same day, after Sherman's report from the front, Grant, who was
at Savannah, telegraphed Halleck: "I have scarcely the faintest idea of an
attack (general one) being made upon us, but will be prepared should
such a thing take place."
The First Day
The battle began about 4:55 a. m., Sunday, April 6, when a reconnoiter-
ing party of Prentiss' Union division encountered Hardee's skirmish
line, under Maj. Aaron B. Hardcastle, a short distance in front of Sher-
man's camps. The reconnoitering party— three companies of the 25th
Missouri under Maj. James E. Powell — fighting and retreating slowly
toward its camps was reinforced by four companies of the 16th Wiscon-
sin and five companies of the 21st Missouri. These troops were, in turn,
reinforced at the northeast corner of Rhea Field by all of Col. Everett
Peabody's brigade. Here they succeeded in holding the Confederates in
check until about 8 a. m., when they fell back to Prentiss' line of camps,
closely followed by the enemy.
General Sherman, hearing the picket firing in his front, immediately
got his division under arms and posted a battery at Shiloh Church and
another on the ridge to the south. The left of this hastily formed line
The Confederate charge upon Prentiss' camps. From "Battles
and Leaders of the Civil War."
received the full impact of the Confederate onslaught at about the same
time that Prentiss' camps were attacked. One of the regiments in the
left brigade— the 53d Ohio— consisted of raw troops who had never
been under fire. Unable to withstand the fierce Confederate attack, this
regiment soon broke and fled to the rear. A short time later the other
two regiments of the brigade did likewise. The commander of the
brigade, Col. Jesse Hildebrand, refused to leave the field with his men.
Since he had no troops of his own, he acted as aide for General Mc-
Clernand the rest of the day.
General Prentiss, in the meantime, was making a gallant, but futile,
stand along his line of camps. Assailed by the eager Confederates in
front and on the flanks, his whole division soon broke and fell back in
confusion. He succeeded in rallying about 1,000 of his men on the center
of a line that W. H. L. Wallace and Hurlbut were forming with parts
of their divisions in a strong position in the rear. This new line, run-
ning through a densely wooded area along an old sunken road, proved
to be such a strong position that the Confederates named the place
"Hornets' Nest" because of the stinging shot and shell they had to face
there.
Meanwhile, General Grant at breakfast in Savannah heard the guns in
the battle of Shiloh. He at once sent word to the advance of Buell's
10
army, which had already arrived at Savannah, to march immediately to
the point on the river opposite the battlefield. He then hurried up the
river aboard the steamer Tigress, moving in close enough to the shore
at Crump's Landing to instruct Gen. Lew Wallace to be prepared to
execute any order he might receive. Upon arriving at the field, he dis-
patched reinforcements to Prentiss and formed two regiments in line
near Pittsburg Landing, to arrest the tide of stragglers from the battle
and organize them to return. He then rode to the front.
While the Confederate right was engaged with Prentiss, the left, sup-
ported by continuous artillery fire, was hurled against the combined
forces of Sherman and McClernand who were making a stubborn stand
along the ridge at Shiloh Church. This small log building, which gave
its name to the battle, was considered the key position of the field, as it
commanded the best road from Corinth to Pittsburg Landing. When
General Grant reached the church, about 10 a. m., his troops were heavily
engaged all along the line. They had resisted the relentless pounding
from the Confederate artillery and the repeated infantry charges for over
2 hours. Seeing that the line could not hold much longer, Grant dis-
patched orders to Lew Wallace to move to the field, expecting him to
reinforce the Union right. Leaving Sherman, he moved down the line
to the left to confer with his other division commanders. He visited
Prentiss in the Hornets' Nest and directed him to hold his position there
at all hazards.
Union defenders of the Hornets' Nest (right) repulsed 1 1 Con-
federate charges against the Sunken Road.
11
The Sunken Road near Bloody Pond.
Soon after Grant's departure, Sherman withdrew from Shiloh Ridge,
abandoning his camps and much of his equipment. He took a new posi-
tion behind the Hamburg- Purdy Road alongside McClernand who had
been pushed back on line with Prentiss' Hornets' Nest position.
Grant's army was now posted on either side of Prentiss, making a line
approximately 3 Vi miles long. The opposing army was charging this
line with a series of frontal attacks, just as hard on the left as on the
right. This was contrary to Johnston's plan of battle. He had intended
to push hardest on the Union left and seize their base of supplies at the
Landing. Without supplies or an avenue of escape, he hoped to drive
the disorganized Federals into the swamps of Snake and Owl Creeks and
destroy them.
Seeing that the enemy was being driven into its base of supplies
rather than away from it, Johnston, about noon, moved to the extreme
right to direct in person the activities of that wing of his army. There,
he found his troops exposed to a galling fire and unable to advance.
Determined to move his line forward, Johnston ordered and led a suc-
cessful charge. The Union lines recoiled, and the Confederates surged
forward about three-fourths of a mile. As Johnston sat on his horse,
watching the lines re-form, a ball from the gun of an unknown Union
soldier struck the Southern commander, severing the large artery in his
right leg. No surgeon being near, he died from loss of blood at 2:30 p. m.
The death of Johnston caused a lull in the battle on the right flank
for about an hour. The situation was relieved somewhat by the fact that
12
a second in command was on the field. Gen. Pierre G. T. Beauregard
was in charge of headquarters which had been established near Shiloh
Church. When informed of Johnston's death, he immediately assumed
command. He sent General Bragg to the right of the field and put Gen.
Daniel Ruggles in command at the center.
General Ruggles, having witnessed 11 unsuccessful charges against
the Hornets' Nest, decided to concentrate artillery fire upon the posi-
tion. Therefore, he collected all the artillery he could find— 62 pieces—
and opened fire upon the Union line. Under cover of continuous fire
from these guns, the Confederates attacked with renewed courage and
redoubled energy. Unable to withstand the assault, the troops on both
the Federal right and left withdrew toward the Landing, leaving Prentiss
and W. H. L. Wallace isolated in the Hornets' Nest. As the Union forces
withdrew, the left of the Confederate line swung around and joined
flanks with the troops moving around from the right, thus forming a
circle of fire around Wallace and Prentiss.
Wallace, seeing that the other divisions were withdrawing and that
his command was being surrounded, gave the order for his troops to fall
back. To execute the order, his division had to pass through a ravine
which was already under the crossfire of the encircling Confederates.
Wallace was mortally wounded in the attempt, but two of his regiments
succeeded in passing through the valley, between the Confederate lines,
which they appropriately named "Hell's Hollow." Prentiss continued
the resistance until 5:30 p. m., when he was compelled to surrender with
over 2,200 troops— all that remained of the two divisions.
During the afternoon, Col. Joseph D. Webster, Grant's Chief of
Artillery, placed a battery of siege guns around the crest of a hill about
Johnston mortally wounded.
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Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
Courtesy National Archives.
a quarter of a mile in from the Landing. The smaller field artillery pieces
were put in position on either side of them as they were moved back
from the front. The two wooden gunboats, Tyler and Lexington, anchored
opposite the mouth of Dill Branch, further strengthened the line. As
the remnants of the shattered Union Army drifted back toward the
Landing, they were rallied along this line of cannon.
After the capture of Prentiss, an attempt was made to reorganize the
Confederates for an attack upon the Union position near the Landing.
Before a coordinated attack could be made, Beauregard, who had re-
ceived word that Buell would not arrive in time to save Grant's army,
sent out the order from his headquarters at Shiloh Church to suspend
the attack. Unknown to Beauregard, the advance of Buell's army had
already arrived opposite Pittsburg Landing and was being rapidly ferried
across the river.
During Sunday night and Monday morning, Buell moved approxi-
mately 17,000 troops into line on the Union left. Lew Wallace put al-
14
Gen. Don Carlos Buell.
Courtesy National Archives
most 6,000 fresh troops — Fort Donelson veterans— in position on the
right. The Confederates, receiving no reinforcements, spent a sleepless
night in the captured Union camps annoyed by shells from the gun-
boats, which were thrown among them at 15-minute intervals through-
out the night.
The battle had already raged for 13 hours. Charge after charge had
been made by the Confederates, followed by Federal countercharges.
Ground had been gained and lost, but the general direction of move-
ment had always been toward the Landing. By the time the day was
over and the weary soldiers had lain down to rest, the Confederates were
in possession of all the field, except the Landing and a bit of adjoining
territory. Many Southern soldiers, in view of the gains made during the
day, believed that the victory was already theirs. An equally large num-
ber of Northerners were willing to concede defeat. When night at last
closed in around the hostile armies, feelings of uncertainty prevailed
among the leaders on both sides. Many of them were well aware that
the battle was yet to be won or lost.
15
The Second Day
Monday morning, April 7, at daylight, the vanquished of the previous
day renewed the struggle with increased strength and restored confi-
dence. Anxious to take the initiative, the Union armies were put in
motion almost simultaneously, with Buell on the left, Lew Wallace on
the extreme right, and Grant's weary troops occupying the space be-
tween. The movement began unopposed, except by small unsupported
parties which were quickly forced to retreat.
The Confederates had been unable to reorganize their widely scattered
forces during the night. Therefore, when the Union advance began on
Monday the opposing line of battle was yet unformed. The Confederates
were still back in the vicinity of the captured Union camps vainly trying
to reorganize their broken commands. They did not succeed in forming
a line until after the enemy had advanced beyond the Peach Orchard
and the Hornets' Nest, regaining much of the territory they had lost
the day before.
Young Confederate enlisted men from the Washington Artillery
of New Orleans. From a photograph made prior to the Battle
of Shiloh.
16
The Confederates, one brigade strong, were first encountered by Lew
Wallace a short distance in front of his Sunday night bivouac. In a brief
but spirited engagement, the Confederates were attacked in front and
on the left flank by the Union division. To keep from being surrounded,
they fell back almost a mile in the direction of Shiloh Church to take
their place in the forming line of battle.
In the meantime, Buell moved his troops rapidly forward until they
developed the Confederate line of battle west of the Peach Orchard. The
Southerners boldly charged the advancing Union infantry which had
moved forward so rapidly that its artillery was still far to the rear. With-
out artillery support, the Federals were unable to withstand the violent
assault of the Confederates and were forced to make a hasty retreat. The
timely arrival and effective use of two batteries of artillery permitted the
Union line again to advance, only to be driven back once more by the
stubborn Confederates.
The battle now raged the entire length of the field. Charge followed
by countercharge moved the fitfully swaying line first toward the river
and then toward the church. The advantage would seem to rest mo-
mentarily with the weary Southerners, but would soon be lost to their
greatly strengthened opponent. Commands became so intermingled and
confused that it was often impossible to distinguish between friend and
foe. The Confederates, clad in a variety of colored uniforms, with no
well-defined line and on an ever-changing front, suffered the heavier
losses from the fire of their own troops.
Meanwhile, General Beauregard, at Shiloh Church, anxiously awaited
the return of couriers he had dispatched to Corinth to hurry forward
Gen. Earl Van Dorn's army of about 20,000 men, daily expected there
from Van Buren, Ark. He had promised to make a junction with Gen-
eral Beauregard as soon as possible, but was delayed because he had no
means of transporting his troops across the Mississippi. Unaware that
Van Dorn was still in Arkansas, General Beauregard maintained his
largest troop concentration in the vicinity of the church to defend the
Corinth- Pittsburg Road so that reinforcements could be quickly moved
onto the field. As soon as it became known that additional troops were
not on the way, Beauregard realized that the road would have to be kept
open as a possible line of retreat. The Union commanders were equally
determined to drive the Confederates from the position. Consequently,
furious fighting raged before the church long after the tempo of the
battle had slackened on each flank.
Despite all efforts of the Confederates, the Union line continued
slowly to advance. In desperation the Confederates made a gallant
charge, first expending their ammunition and then relying on the bayo-
net. The charge carried the surging line through waist-deep Water Oaks
Pond, beyond which the fire from the adversary became so strong that
the line was brought to an abrupt halt. Taking cover at the edge of a
woods, they repulsed every attempt by the Federals to advance.
17
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Arrival of Federal reinforcements.
The first tent field hospital ever used for the treatment of the
wounded on the battlefield was established at Shiloh, April 7,
1862.
By 2 p. m. General Beauregard decided it was useless to prolong the
unequal struggle. Since early morning, his lines had been forced back,
step by step, with heavy losses. From all parts of the field his subordi-
nates were sending urgent requests for reinforcements, which he was
unable to supply. Even his position at the church was in danger of being
taken. A continuation of the battle could bring only additional disasters
upon his already greatly depleted ranks. To forestall a complete rout, he
ordered a rear guard with artillery support to be put in position on the
ridge west of the church and instructed his corps commanders to begin
withdrawing their troops. By 4 o'clock, the last of the Confederate Army,
or what was left of it, had retired from the field and was leisurely mak-
ing its way back to Corinth without a single Federal soldier in pursuit.
The Union armies did not attempt to harass the retreating Southern
columns or attack them when they went into bivouac for the night. In-
stead, Grant's troops, from the privates to the highest commanders,
appear to have been content to return to their recaptured camps, while
the Confederates returned to their former positions in and around
Corinth to recruit and reorganize.
In explanation of his inactivity Grant said: "My force was too much
fatigued from two days' hard fighting and exposure in the open air to
a drenching rain during the intervening night, to pursue immediately.
Night closed in cloudy and with heavy rain, making roads impracticable
for artillery by the next morning."
The next morning, April 8, however, Gen. Thomas J. Wood, with his
division, and Sherman, with two brigades and the 4th Illinois Cavalry,
went in pursuit. Toward evening they came upon the Confederate rear
guard at Fallen Timbers, about 6 miles from the battlefield. The South-
ern cavalry, commanded by Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest, charged the
Federals, putting the skirmishers to flight and throwing the Union cav-
alry into confusion. The Confederates, pursuing too vigorously, came
suddenly upon the main body of Federal infantry and were repulsed,
after Colonel Forrest had been seriously wounded in the side. Before
returning to camp, the Northerners tarried long enough to bury their
15 dead, gather up their 25 wounded, and find out that they had lost 75
as prisoners. The spirited action of the Confederate rear guard at Fallen
Timbers put an end to all ideas of further pursuit by the Federals.
Results of the Battle
The losses on each side at Shiloh were unusually heavy. Grant's army
of 39,830 had been reinforced by 25,255 during the night between the
2 days' battle, swelling the total number of Union troops engaged to
65,085, excluding a guard detachment of 1,727 men left at Crump's
Landing. Of that total number 1,754 were reported killed, 8,408 wound-
ed, and 2,885 missing; presenting an aggregate of 13,047 casualties.
19
The army under Generals Johnston and Beauregard had gone into
battle with 43,968 men of all arms and condition. They received no rein-
forcements, except 731 men of Col. Munson R. Hill's Tennessee Regi-
ment who had reached the front unarmed and were furnished with arms
and equipment picked up from the field. The Southerners lost 1,728
killed, 8,012 wounded, and 959 captured or missing, or a total of 10,699
casualties.
"Present" and "Casualties" at Shiloh
Present
for duty
Casualties
Killed
Wounded
Missing
Total
UNION
Army of the Tennessee (April 6)
Keinf or cements (April 7)
Army of the Tennessee
39, 830
7,337
17, 918
1,433
80
241
6,202
399
1,807
2,818
12
55
10, 453
491
Army of the Ohio
2, 103
Total Federals engaged l
65, 085
1,754
8,408
2,885
13, 047
CONFEDERATE
Army of the Mississippi (April 6)
43,968
731
1,728
8,012
959
10, 699
Reinforcements (April 7)
Hill's 47th Tennessee
Total Confederates engaged
44, 699
1,728
8,012
959
10, 699
Grand Total
109, 784
3,482
16, 420
3,844
23, 746
1 Does not include 1, 727 troops left at Crump's Landing as rear guard.
During the first few weeks following the battle, both sides claimed
a victory. The Confederates based their claim upon the facts that they
had inflicted an almost complete rout on the Federals on Sunday, April
6, and that they had been able to hold a part of the field until they with-
drew in good order on Monday. Furthermore, they said, the Union
armies were so battered that they were unable to pursue.
20
Shiloh National Cemetery.
Bloody Pond.
■
W
i
^i"}-
^M»»»<W»<)#!^>^rmrf^'»#(N»|^
FEDERAL
ENCAMPMENTS
CONFEDERATE
POSITIONS
LEGEND
A Brigade Headquarters
Division Headquarters
Roads
CONFEDERATE PLAN
OF BATTLE
Johnston expected to push rapidly
with his right wing around Grant's
left as shown by the long black
arrow. Such a move would drive
the Federal Army downstream
away from its base of supplies at
Pittsburg Landing. The Confeder-
ates would then envelop and
defeat the Federals.
March 1950 NM SHI 7004
22
Creek
HOW THE BATTLE WAS FOUGHT
The Battle of Shiloh developed
into a series of frontal attacks
with the left of the Confederate
Army moving faster than the
right. By the end of the first day
the Federals had been pushed
back into their base of supplies
at Pittsburg Landing where they
were strongly protected by
gunboats and artillery. On the
second day, Federal reinforce-
ments turned the tide of battle
and swept the Confederates from
the field.
Mtrch 1950 NM SHi 7006
23
The Federals claimed the victory upon the grounds that on Monday
evening they had recovered their encampments and had possession of
the field from which the Confederates had retired, leaving behind a large
number of their dead and wounded.
After the Battle of Shiloh the Confederates were compelled to with-
draw southward. Corinth was abandoned to the North on May. 30th,
severing the railroad from Memphis to Chattanooga. By the end of June
1862, only those forts on the Mississippi River near Vicksburg remained
in Southern hands. After a long siege, Vicksburg fell to the North on
July 4, 1863, cutting the Confederacy in two.
Guide to the Area
Fot the benefit of visitors who are unable to take the guided tour, num-
bered markers have been placed at points of interest in the park to
correspond with the following numbered sections and those shown on
the guide map. For the complete tour, Nos. 1 to 17 should be followed
in consecutive order.
l. iowa state monument. This 75 -foot monument, designed by E. F.
Triebel, was erected by the State of Iowa in 1906. Surmounting the main
shaft are a bronze capital, globe, and an eagle with a wingspread of 15
feet. Ascending the steps at the base of the monument is a bronze statue,
Grant's last line.
24
SHILOH NATIONAL MILITARY PARK
TENNESSEE
}Tour
Tour
Route Paved
Route Gravel
Paved Road
Gravel Road
Park Boundary
(T) IOWA STATE MONUMENT (Jj PUTNAM STUMP
(2) MICHIGAN STATE MONUMENT ® HORNETS NEST AND
(?) CONFEDERATE MONUMENT SUNKEN ROAD
0 RUGGLES' BATTERIES ® JOHNSTONS MONUMENT
(?) CONFEDERATE BURIAL TRENCH @ PEACH ORCHARD
(?) ILLINOIS STATE MONUMENT 13 WAR CABIN
® SHILOH CHURCH SITE @ BLOODY POND
® FRALEY FIELD (g, |ND|AN M0UN0S
® OVERLOOK
@ PITTSBURG LANDING
Note : All distances given are from
park headquarters
SCALE
H
Drawn by E F. Berry February 1950 NMP SHI 7003
25
symbolic of "Fame," inscribing a tribute to the Iowa soldiers who fought
in the battle. In addition to this monument, Iowa has 11 regimental
monuments on the field.
The pyramid of cannon balls north of the monument marks the head-
quarters site of Gen. W. H. L. Wallace. When the battle opened, there
were five Union divisions on the field. All of the divisional camps, ex-
cept this one, were captured by the Confederates on the first day of the
battle.
The siege guns southwest of the monument are the heaviest pieces
used in this battle. They had an accurate range of about 2,000 yards,
whereas, the ordinary cannon were effective at only about 1,100 yards.
These cannon represent the last Union line, formed late Sunday after-
noon, extending from the river to Snake Creek Bridge, a distance of
about 2 miles.
The small earthwork beyond the siege guns is the only one thrown
up on this battlefield. The emplacement was not used, however, because
the Federals took the offensive early the next morning.
Confederate Monument, erected by the United Daughters of the
Confederacy.
2. Michigan state monument. Twenty-one States were represented
in the Battle of Shiloh. Only 12 of those States have monuments on the
battlefield. In 1918, the State of Michigan erected this memorial to her
three regiments of infantry and one battery of artillery which participated
in the battle. The crowning figure on the monument faces toward
Corinth, Miss., the objective point of the campaign.
3. confederate monument. This monument, designed and sculptured
by Frederick C. Hibbard, was erected in 1917 by the United Daughters
of the Confederacy in memory of all Southern troops who fought in the
battle.
In the center of the massive pedestal is carved the bust of Gen. Albert
Sidney Johnston, the Confederate commander who was killed during
the afternoon of the first day.
At the extreme right, the figure in front represents the Confederate
infantryman who has snatched up his flag in defiance of the Northern
Army. The figure to his rear is the artilleryman who is calm as he
appears to gaze through the smoke of battle.
To. the left, the figure in front represents the cavalryman. His hand is
spread, indicating frustration. He is eager to help, but cannot penetrate
the heavy undergrowth. The figure back of the cavalryman represents
the officers of the Confederate Army. He has his head bowed in submis-
sion to the order to cease firing when, it seemed, had it not been given
the first day, there might have been a Confederate victory.
Duncan Field, between "Hell's Hollow" and Ruggles' Battery.
27
Confederate burial trench.
The central group represents a "Defeated Victory." The front figure,
representing the Confederacy, is surrendering the laurel wreath of vic-
tory to Death, on the left, and Night, on the right. Death came to their
commander and Night brought reinforcements to the enemy; and the
battle was lost.
The panel of heads on the right represents the spirit of the first day.
How hopefully and fearlessly the 11 young Confederates rushed into
battle!
The panel of heads on the left represents the second day of the battle
and the sorrow of the men, now reduced to 10, over the victory so nearly
won and so unexpectedly lost.
South of the monument, just inside the woods, is the spot where
Union General Prentiss surrendered, with over 2,200 troops, at 5:30
p. m.,on the first day.
4. ruggles' batteries. The line of guns on the left represents Ruggles'
Confederate concentration of 62 cannon. This was the longest line of
artillery ever formed in an American battle up to that time. Aided by
these cannon, the Confederates succeeded in driving back the Union
flanks and in capturing over 2,200 troops near the center of the Hornets'
Nest.
5. confederate burial trench. All of the Confederate dead are buried
on the battlefield in five large trenches. In this, the largest, there are,
reportedly, 721 bodies, stacked seven deep.
28
New Shiloh Church, stands on the site of the original church.
The day after the battle, General Beauregard dispatched a message to
General Grant asking for permission to send a mounted party to the
battlefield to bury his dead. In answer, Grant said: "Owing to the
warmth of the weather I deemed it advisable to have all the dead of
both parties buried immediately . . » now it is accomplished."
The Confederates and Federals were buried alike in separate trenches
on the field. Four years after the battle the Union dead were removed
to the newly established national cemetery. The Confederates still rest
in the trenches where they were buried by the Federal troops.
6. Illinois state monument. This monument, sculptured by Richard
W. Bock, was dedicated in 1904 to all Illinois troops who participated in
the battle of Shiloh.
The crowning figure, designed to represent the State of Illinois, holds
a book in her left hand containing a record of her sons' achievements
on this field. In her right hand is a sheathed sword. The scabbard is held
with a firm grasp as if in readiness for release of the blade and a renewal
of the battle should the occasion arise. Her gaze is bent watchfully
toward enemy territory to the south.
7. shiloh church site. The original "Shiloh Meeting House"— a one-
room log structure with rude handmade furnishings— was built by the
Southern Methodists about 1853, 9 years after the church had split over
the slavery issue.
29
When the Union Army moved upon the field, General Sherman en-
camped his division along the ridge on either side of the church. It was
along this same ridge that he formed his first line of battle on the morn-
ing of April 6, 1862, and where he was first attacked by the Confederates.
He succeeded in holding the ridge for about 2 hours before he was
forced to withdraw.
As soon as Sherman withdrew, General Beauregard established his
headquarters at the church. He held the position until the Confederates
began their retreat on the second day.
The church was reportedly torn down by the Union troops and the
logs used to build bridges when the movement upon Corinth began.
The present structure, completed in 1949, stands on the site of the
original church.
8. fraley field. About 3 a. m. on Sunday, April 6, a reconnoitering
party was sent out from Prentiss' division to explore a small wagon trail
to the front. The party, under Major Powell, advanced past Seay Field,
crossed the main Corinth Road, and encountered the Confederate cav-
alry videttes at the corner of Wood and Fraley Fields at 4:55 a. m. There
followed an engagement with the pickets, commanded by Major Hard-
castle, from Wood's brigade of Hardee's corps.
About 6:30 a. m., the Confederate advance began. The reconnoitering
party fell back slowly, making a stand at the corner of Seay Field. By
7:30 a. m., the Confederate line had advanced to within half a mile of
Prentiss' camps.
9. putnam stump. Pvt. John D. Putnam, Company F, 14th Wisconsin
Volunteer Infantry, was killed on Monday, April 7, during a charge
against a Confederate battery. He was buried where he fell, at the foot
of a young oak tree.
Thomas Stone, one of the burying party, suggested that his name be
carved into the tree sufficiently low so that in case the tree were cut
down the name would remain.
When the national cemetery was established, Putnam's body was re-
moved to it. Because of the precautions of his comrades in 1862, his is
one of the few graves marked with full name, company, and regiment.
In 1901, the Wisconsin Shiloh Monument Commission visited the
field to select a site for the State monument. They found that the tree
had been chopped down, but that the stump remained with the name
of Putnam still legible. The Wisconsin Commissioners chose this spot
because of its absolute correctness as to the position of the 14th Regi-
ment. They decided to reproduce the stump in granite and to place it
on the exact spot where the original had stood. This unusual monu-
ment to a private was placed in position April 7, 1906.
30
Putnam Stump.
£°JMiH mr
*m
1 .* §l*t»i*'
m
10. hornets' nest and sunken road. The Confederate soldiers
named this area "Hornets' Nest" because of the stinging shot and shell
they had to face here. Parts of three Federal divisions were intrenched
in this old sunken road, protected by a heavy rail fence and dense
undergrowth.
General Ruggles, after having witnessed 11 unsuccessful attacks
against the position, formed a line of artillery consisting of 62 pieces
and concentrated its fire upon the Federal line. With the aid of these
cannon, the Confederates were able to form a circle around the Sunken
Road, surrounding and capturing General Prentiss, with more than
2,200 troops, at 5:30 p. m.
Within this area are the Arkansas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin State
Monuments.
n. Johnston's monument. On the afternoon of April 6, General
Johnston ordered his reserves to go into action and advance on the right
flank in an attempt to drive a wedge between the Federal troops and
their base of supplies at Pittsburg Landing. He also hoped to make it
impossible for reinforcements to come to Grant's assistance from across
the river. While personally directing his reserves, he was struck in the
right leg by a Minie ball which cut the large artery.
31
«
Johnston's Mortuary Monument.
At the time General Johnston was struck, he was sitting on his horse,
Fire-eater," underneath the large oak tree now enclosed by an iron
fence. He was taken to the ravine about 100 yards south of this monu-
ment. There, beneath the tree now protected by another iron fence, he
died from loss of blood, a few minutes later.
Four other mortuary monuments are located in the park, marking the
spots where Generals Gladden and W. H. L. Wallace and Colonels Pea-
body and Raith fell in action.
12. peach orchard. At the time of the battle, the Peach Orchard was
in full bloom. It was here that some of the hardest fighting of the first
day took place. While the fighting raged across the orchard, bullets were
cutting the blossoms from the trees so thick and fast that the air appeared
to be rilled with falling snow.
13. war cabin. This cabin formerly stood in Perry Field on the Fed-
eral right and in the immediate front of the last Union line established
on Sunday afternoon, the first day of the battle. The battle-scarred logs
reveal that it stood in the midst of heavy fighting. Of the many cabins
on the field at the time of the battle, this is the only survivor.
The cabin was moved to the present location, a few weeks after the
battle, to replace one that was burned during the engagement.
32
14. bloody pond. This shallow pool of water was in the path of the
retreating Federal Army as it was pushed back toward the river on Sun-
day. Being the only water in the immediate vicinity, the wounded from
both sides crawled here to quench their thirst and bathe their wounds.
So many bled in and around the pond that the water is said to have
become stained the color of blood.
15. INDIAN mounds. There are about 30 mounds in this area, 7 of
which are large, ranging in height from 5 to 15 feet. With one excep-
tion, all are flat-topped platform mounds. The one having a different
form is an oval-shaped burial mound.
The mounds were excavated in 1934 under the direction of the
Smithsonian Institution. Quantities of broken pottery, bone implements,
stone tools, and weapons were removed. Twelve skeletons were found
in the oval burial mound.
The effigy pipe, now on display at park headquarters, was removed
from the burial mound in 1899 under the direction of the Park Com-
mission.
16. overlook. This 100- foot bluff affords the best view of the Tennes-
see River and the adjoining country. From this point one can see the
east bank of the river where the advance of General BuelPs army, fol-
lowing its march from Savannah, Tenn., embarked to cross to the
battlefield late Sunday afternoon.
War cabin.
\
33
Terra cotta effigy pipe
found on the battlefield.
Down the river, to the north, one can see Savannah where General
Grant had his headquarters. On clear days, Pickwick Dam may be seen
up the river, to the south.
17. pittsburg landing. Even before the Battle of Shiloh, this was an
important landing. Merchants of Corinth, Purdy, and the adjacent
country received most of their merchandise from boats which tied up at
this point. When the boats went back downstream, they were laden with
passengers, cotton, and produce which had been transported to the
Landing over the roads which converged here.
When the Union armies began preparations for the move against
Corinth, Pittsburg Landing was selected as the concentration point be-
cause of its good camp sites and the good roads which led to the Con-
federate stronghold. The Army of the Tennessee, with the exception
of Lew Wallace's 3d Division, debarked at Pittsburg Landing. General
Buell's army, brought to Grant's aid under the stress of battle, arrived
at the field on such a large number of transports that the Landing would
not accommodate them. Consequently, all of the riverbank within the
Union lines was used as a boat landing.
34
Excursion boat departing from Pittsburg Landing.
Because of the importance of the Landing, the engagement was
called "Battle of Pittsburg Landing" in most Northern newspapers and
reports. The Southern name "Battle of Shiloh" is now almost univer-
sally accepted.
National Cemetery
Shiloh National Cemetery was established in 1866 and embraces an area
of 10.2 acres. In the cemetery are interred 3,695 bodies, two-thirds of
whom are unidentified. Besides the Union soldiers killed in the Battle
of Shiloh, the cemetery holds many of the dead from nearby battlefields.
In addition, a number of those who served in the Spanish-American
War, both World Wars, and one from the Revolutionary War are buried
here. Only two Confederates are buried in the cemetery. Both died while
being held as prisoners of war.
The Wisconsin Color Guard Memorial is located at the east end of
the cemetery on the bluff overlooking the Tennessee River. Another
interesting feature of the cemetery is the pyramid of 32-pounder cannon
erected by the United States Government to mark the site of the tree
used by General Grant as headquarters on the night of April 6.
How to Reach the Park
Shiloh National Military Park is situated on the west bank of the Ten-
nessee River at the intersection of State Highways Nos. 22 and 142. It is
13 miles east of U. S. No. 45, and 5 miles south of U. S. No. 64.
35
W' C-
V-
Graves of six Wisconsin color bearers, overlooking Tennessee
River. In Shiloh National Cemetery.
Administration
Shiloh National Military Park is a part of the National Park System
owned by the people of the United States and administered for them by
the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior. Communi-
cations should be addressed to the Superintendent, Shiloh National
Military Park, Pittsburg Landing, Tenn.
The Park and Related Areas
Shiloh National Military Park, containing approximately 3,730 acres,
was established by act of Congress on December 27, 1894. At the time
of its establishment only Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Mili-
tary Park, Ga.-Tenn., had been dedicated in memory of the western
campaigns of the War Between the States. In subsequent years other
36
national military parks dealing with the Civil War in the West have
been established. Those most closely related to Shiloh are Vicksburg
National Military Park, Miss., and Stones River and Fort Donelson
National Military Parks, Tenn.
Visitor Facilities
An exhibit room and library are located in the administration building,
situated near Pittsburg Landing. They may be visited by the public every
day from 8 a. m. to 4:30 p. m. Here are to be found interesting relics,
books, and maps relating to the Battle of Shiloh and the Civil War. Free
literature concerning this area may also be secured at park headquarters.
Orientation and historical talks are given daily by members of the park
staff. Free guide service is usually available. Special service is provided
for groups and organizations if arrangements are made in advance with
the superintendent.
Shiloh Inspires Writers
For the first two or three decades following the Battle of Shiloh many
literary men, following the dictates of popular demand, based their com-
positions, both prose and poetry, upon events of that bloody battle.
Since Shiloh was significant for the bravery of the young untrained men
of the North and South alike, writers frequently wrote about the young
Administration building.
Win"——
37
i < •
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AUtHOfi
H'M HOMt
"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh," written in 1862, was one of
more than 300 songs published by Will S. Hays.
and otherwise undistinguished soldiers rather than the time-worn theme
of the brave and gallant leaders. The drummer boy, often a mere lad
who had run away from home to seek adventure in the ranks, became
the subject of some of the most popular literature of the day. Many of
these productions were based upon incidents which actually happened
during the engagement, but those destined to become most famous were
drawn largely from the imaginative minds of the authors.
Samuel J. Muscroft's play The Drummer Boy of Shiloh, written in 1870,
was apparently based upon "what might have been" rather than facts.
38
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The play— a pleasing mixture of drama, pathos, and comedy— was staged
in cities and towns all over the Northern States for almost 40 years. It
was ordinarily staged as a home-town production rather than by pro-
fessional actors and actresses— a factor which tended to increase its
popularity. In fact, contemporary accounts say that the play was second
in popularity only to Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Numerous poems about Shiloh were of immediate, if not lasting,
popularity. Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick and Typee, attracted
by the multitude of inviting subjects presented by the Civil War, turned
39
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to Shiloh for inspiration. "Shiloh," published 4 years after the battle, is
one of his most famous poems of the War Between the States era.
"The Men of the West" by Richard Coe; "Our Boys who Fell at
Shiloh" and "General Albert Sidney Johnston" by H. Pleasants McDan-
icl; and "The Old Sergeant" by Forceythe Willson are typical examples
of the trend in poetry immediately following Shiloh.
Song writers of the period also looked to Shiloh for the themes of
their melodies. The most successful endeavor in this field was made by
Will S. Hays in "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh." Like the play by that
name, the song is undoubtedly based upon fancy rather than facts. The
title was chosen because of its certain musical quality and not because
of its connection with any incident of the engagement. Hays, a corre-
spondent of the Louisville Democrat, wrote the song in 1862 while the
story of the battle was still news rather than history. It is not known
whether he was at the battle of Shiloh or whether his sympathies were
with the North or the South. However, his song immediately became
famous throughout the country and remained popular for a number of
years.
The song and the play, "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh," may possibly
be credited with the creation, or at least the perpetuation, of the popular
legend about "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh." After the publication of
these works several claimants to the title came to the fore. Needless to
say, these men had not been killed at the battle, but each maintained
that his presence at the engagement as a youthful drummer had inspired
the authors. From time to time, as years passed, newspapers in widely
scattered sections of the country announced "The Drummer Boy of
40
Shiloh Dies." A recent study by Ray H. Mattison, former historian at
Shiloh National Military Park, proved that many of the claimants were
ineligible for the designation. In the final analysis, John Clem, "The
Drummer Boy of Chickamauga," was found to have the strongest claim
to the Shiloh title.
THE DRUMMER BOY OF SHILOH
"Look down upon the battlefield,
Oh Thou, Our Heavenly Friend,
Have mercy on our sinful souls. "
The soldiers cried, "Amen."
There gathered Wound a little group,
Each brave man knelt and cried.
They listened to the drummer boy,
Who prayed before he died.
"Oh, Mother," said the dying boy,
"Look down from heaven on me.
Receive me to thy fond embrace,
Oh, take me home to thee.
I've loved my country as my God.
To serve them both I've tried!"
He smiled, shook hands— death seized the boy,
Who prayed before he died.
Each soldier wept then like a child.
Stout hearts were they and brave.
They wrapped him in his country's flag
And laid him in the grave.
They placed by him the Bible,
A rededicated guide
To those that mourn the drummer boy
Who prayed before he died.
Ye angels 'round the throne of grace,
Look down upon the braves,
Who fought and died on Shiloh' s plain,
Now slumbering in their graves.
How many homes made desolate,
How many hearts have sighed.
How many like that drummer boy,
Who prayed before he died.
Will S. Hays.
41
The years intervening between the Battle of Shiloh and the present
have softened the harshness of the engagement and wrapped it in a
shroud of sentimental romanticism. Most twentieth-century writers are
content to view the battle from that perspective. Occasionally a realist,
such as Shelby Foote in his historical novel, "Shiloh," penetrates the
rosy glow and brings forth interesting and all-but-forgotten facts.
Dr. Merrick F. McCarthy, another twentieth-century writer, presents an
accurate and vivid picture of the battle in the following poem:
FOUR VOICES FROM SHILOH*
Stern Johnston came in April from the South
To spread the Shiloh fields with threatening Gray!
Hard Sherman set his unrelenting mouth,
And Grant knew not the season or the day,
Though spring had come! A turmoil held the Land
In vast confusion, out of which these three
Came on, with purpose clear, with sword in hand,
To meet on Shiloh Field their destiny!
Where their lines struck live now but squirrel and bird!
Calm April has her way with flower and tree,— %
But there are lasting voices to be heard
At Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee!
FIRST VOICE
(That of a young man from the North)
If Grant and Sherman push on through,
We'll cut the Southern States in two!
It's not a question of white or black,—
But when States leave, we'll bring them back!
They talk and talk in Washington,
While in the South they're training men!
We had 'em whipped at Donelson, —
But now they're ready to fight again!
When the brood mare foals, I'll be away,—
I always spaded the garden in spring!
And what of the oats, the wheat and the hay?
Who will shock as the reapers swing?
Or mend the roads in thicket and copse,
Or boil the syrup from maple drops?
*Copyright by author.
42
Timber to fell, fires to make,—
Ice to cut on the frozen lake!
I wonder if Dad will be able to plow,—
And whether Mother is living now?
Why do we stay on Shiloh hill,
With our backs to the muddy river;
With Rebels to fight and Rebels to kill,
Why camp in the woods and shiver?
We drilled with Sherman in Ohio,
And now by the Tennessee!
Where do the Southern pickets go
That fire on you and me?
I reckon to Corinth to drill in the mud, -
But we have drilled a few
Who stained the Michie hill with blood
To remember me and you!
SECOND VOICE
(That of a young Southern man)
Hang all Yanks to the end of a limb!
One of us equals ten of him!
What's a Southern man to do
But load his rifle and see this through?
The Yankee Buell is miles away,
While Sherman here on Shiloh creek,
Has no entrenchments, so they say!
Let's hit the Yanks while they are weak!
But winter is here and times are hard, —
I wonder who'll slaughter and render the lard
With me in Corinth? Who'll tend the mill,
With corn on hand and orders to fill?
Dragging guns through water and mud,
With cotton to plant and rice to flood!
The Army's taken our horses and mules
And the children walk to the parish schools!
General Johnston's almighty slow
Gettin' this army ready to go!
And who in hell made the Corinth road?
Horse to leather, man to rope, —
Slither, stagger with the load, —
Through rain, the mud and darkness grope!
Timber the ruts where the freshets run, —
43
Dam off the floods; move up, move on,—
Live or die, but every gun
Must reach the ridge with its caisson!
Cover your powder from the wet;
Keep hammers clean and barrels dry,—
Wipe your pistol and bayonet!
Tomorrow watch the Yankees die!
THIRD VOICE
(That of an old army sergeant)
Privates sleep where the rain pours down!
Generals have a bed in town!
Hayfoot, strawfoot never knows
Whether his gun is loaded or not!
Load again and if she blows . . .
Dead and buried, and soon forgot!
(A ringing rifle volley is heard)
Volley fire! That's what you hear!
And that means more than a picket brush!
Turn your head away from the rear
And set yourself for their first rush!
(Load your guns, if you know how,
With your fingers stiff with fright!
Northern boys from yard and mow,
Southern boys from field and plow,
God forbid, your time is now!)
Dress your line! The guide is right!
(The sounds of battle rise to a crescendo then fade to the silence of
the woods)
FOURTH VOICE
(That of an elderly farmer)
Pray God they never march again
Across my farm, tearing the land to bits-
Wheeling their guns and leaving broken men
Blasted and burned wherever shell-fire hits!
I have the papers now about the fight
That rolled across my orchard, ridge and hill!
Half of the truth is all they dare to write
About what happens when men fight to kill!
44
Now this: "Cleburne advanced across the stream"!
Advanced! He met a line that crashed and flamed
Not loud enough to cover up the scream,
As those in front fell over dead and maimed!
Over the fallen who still shrieked and cried,
The Mississippi troops moved in the flash
Of Sherman's powder, burning as they died,
Meeting the fire with stab and saber slash!
"Sherman fell back"! They ran from tree to tree
Along the greening ridge, now blue with smoke,
Where struggling wounded staggered desperately,
Holding torn arms or legs that bent and broke!
Fell slowly back through burning oak and beech,
Carrying an officer shot through the chest!
Behind my orchard bright with blooming peach ,
"Prentiss took line across the Hornets' Nest"!
Out of the "Sunken Road" men rose to fire
Into the faces of advancing men
Who found the flaming leaves a funeral pyre,—
While those who lived rallied and charged again!
Around my little pond they clubbed and fired
Until the banks were beaten into mud,
Where lay the crying wounded, trapped and mired,
Bleeding until the water stained with blood!
"Then Ruggles massing his artillery
Opened his fire upon the Union line,"
Shaking the earth with blazing battery
That razed the trees, the thickets and the vine!
Men and my fence dissolved in splintering sound
To red-stained rubble! Then "General Wallace fell," -
And when his men saw him knocked to the ground,
The center broke, and both the wings as well!
Pushed to the river bank, for one last stand,
Artillery and infantry stood side by side,
Guarding the only place where boats might land!
"Hold now"! Or drown in the Confederate tide!
Then on this wild confusion, darkness came,
And with the darkness, rain and piercing chill,
Lit only by the sudden, thundering flame,
A Union gunboats fired across the hill . . .
45
All night they carried wounded back to town,—
By barge and boat,— and some they put to knife
In that small shack, near where the steps go down,
With screaming I'll remember all my life!
Their General Grant just couldn't stand the sound
The wounded made! He sat out by a tree
Under a little tent and nearly drowned
In rain; sitting as close as you to me!
Fresh Yankee troops crossed over through the night, —
Buell's troops, come down from Nashville way!
Grant sent them in and started up the fight
As soon as there was light, come break of day!
Then hell broke loose again across my farm,—
More frightened, screaming men came running back,
Coughing and bloody,— broke in leg or arm,—
And some with powder burns, completely black!
By afternoon, they said it was a rout,—
But no one followed far, that I could see!
While Beauregard got his Confederates out,
The Yankees seemed content to let them be!
And when they told me General Johnston died
In my ravine, I thought: rfThe South is dead"!
And so thought those who took that Corinth ride
With their dead general in a wagon-bed!
And I thought too: this farm is dead to me!
I'll never cross my orchard lot again
But I'll remember how it looked to see
My pasture spread with fallen, silent men!
But there is fruit again; the grass is high,—
I guess by fall I'll have my fences set!
I've got some hay down, lying cut to dry,—
And hard work helps a man who must forget!
And I keep thinking that it may not be
The South has met her end! This may begin
A time when men no longer feel so free
To say to other men: you live in sin
Tor which there's need to cure you with a gun!
It could be here was born a brotherhood,—
That from this waste and ruin we have won
A hope for us as yet not understood!
46
/ wonder too about this Lincoln man!
He must have feelings just as you and I!
He must have thought when all this fight began:
0 God Almighty, now more men must die!
He's uglier than sin, but maybe he
Will keep his will above the sound of guns
And not turn arrogant in victory,
Remembering how the South, too, lost her sons!
1 wept and prayed while I threw in the dead
Like lumps of soil: ft0 God of all Creation,—
Let it not be in vain our sons have bled!
In your Son's name,
MAKE US AGAIN A NATION!"
U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1951 O-F — 933343
47
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Historical Handbook Series
■
No. 1 Custer Battlefield
No. 2 Jamestown, Virginia
No. 3 The Lincoln Museum and the House
Where Lincoln Died
/
No. 4 Saratoga
No. 5 Fort McHenry
No. 6 Lee Mansion
no. 7 morristown, a military capital of
the Revolution
No. 8 Hopewell Village
No. 9 Gettysburg
No. 10 Shiloh
No. 11 Statue of Liberty
No. 12 Fort Sumter
'Johnny Shiloh" or "The
Drummer Boy of Sbiloh."
John Clem {1851-1937},
10 years old at Shiloh, later
served at Chattanooga and
is sometimes called "The
Drummer Boy o] Chicka-
mauga. "
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